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The Pull List #90 – January 18, 2017

A weekly column in which Jake gives short blurbs about the comics he’s picked up that week. Reviewed in the order read, which varies but generally by increasing anticipation. Disclaimer: he knows very little about art, at least not enough to considerably honor such tremendous undertakings, so…yeh, there’s that.

For those of you who missed out on the one-shot, Boom! Studios’s new WWE series focuses on Seth Rollins, his destruction of the Shield and his following rise to power. So, if you’ve seen all that, you’re not getting anything new. And still, Hopeless finds a way to make it both informative for new fans and fun for longtimers. Presenting in a more serialized fashion, Hopeless focuses on Rollins’s relationships with his former Shield-brothers, as well as his new boss Triple H, in ways that were only generally alluded to in real life. That, coupled with the fact that we get months of storytelling in the span of a few pages, makes for a more cohesive—or at the very least concise—story than reality presented. Acuña does a great job of making every character recognizable, even in background cameos, while keeping enough of his own style. There are a few minor quibbles with posturing and figurework, but again, minor at best. Garbark’s colors function in a similar manner, keeping the book within the bounds of reality while never losing that comic book feel. The back-up story by Thibodeaux, Guillory, Wells, and Campbell is a wonderfully cartoon-y tale of the New Day’s misadventures with Xavier Woods’s time machine. Yes, that’s an actual thing that happened and, yes, it might be the best part of the comic. WWE #1 is a great jumping on point for new and old fans alike and shows great promise for future issues.

What happens when an evil wizard from another dimension comes to Earth to enslave it for his master, but decides to be a rockstar instead? Curse Words is what happens. Soule’s script is funny and refreshing, dark humor or otherwise. We get a lot of Wizord’s (yes, that’s the wizard’s chosen name) character in a short span of time which allows the reader to understand and revile his choices in the first issue. Browne’s art is dynamic and explosive. Much of the humor relies on deadpan expression, which is something that Browne nails (I know that sounds like a back-handed compliment but it’s not). His colors, thrupled with those of Boyd and Parkinson, give an otherworldly shade to New York City and make the magic fights pop all the more. Curse Words looks to be an interesting take on the magic-fish-out-of-water fantasy story.

Luke Cage and Jessica Jones-Cage’s (don’t actually know the status of her last name and am too lazy to look it up) daughter, Danielle Cage, the Captain America of 20XX, has come to the present to warn the U.S.Avengers of the looming threat from the future, the threat of The Golden Skull. …Yes, that’s a thing and, yes, it’s exactly how it sounds. Ewing does an excellent job of selling GS as both a joke and a conniving threat. While the issue is mostly set-up for the next installment, there is a lot to enjoy, which is saying something, considering this is yet another comic that opens with Thanos killing a bunch of people. On a more positive note, that page gives the art team a real chance to strut their stuff, which, again, is saying something, considering the rest of the comic is a visual feast, from the new SHIELD helicarrier to a swanky 1% charity event. U.S.Avengers is delightfully silly and weird, and well worth your dollars. Do it for the $kullocracy!

The Living Tribunal lies dead. Master Order and Lord Chaos exploded his head. Will Galactus warn the Ultimates in time? I don’t know why I decided to rhyme. Okay, so big stuff happens in this issue. Ewing gives us more background on Vogt’s troubleshooters, shows us the outcome of the Galactus vs. Order & Chaos fight, gives us an update on the Ultimates team leadership, and brings it all to a head in the closing moments of the issue. He gets all this done and never once does the issue feel rushed or cluttered. Mark of craftsmanship. Foreman and Brown have a lot of weird cosmic comics to deal with this week and handle it with aplomb. Weird. Clever. Amazing. All the hallmarks of an Al Ewing book.

It’s all out war as the Arrow team goes up against the Vice Squad with some unexpected help! Juan Ferreyra is back on art duty and it’s so good to see his work again. There’s so much action in this series that it’s always an enjoyable book to read. It, much like Superman & Titans, read like the comic books I grew up with: great stories with amazing action set pieces. And just like those two series, GA is a must read.

“Multiplicity” continues as Superman & the Justice League Incarnate attempt to round up the rest of the Supermen & Superwomen across the Multiverse in a race against time to thwart the Gatherers and their leader, Prophecy. There are some cool fights throughout the issue and some might think it was a bit too much planning and not enough action, but the last page of the issue more than makes up for it and will has us geared up for the big battle in next issue’s finale of the Multiplicity arc.

The killer who is framing the Run-Offs is revealed! However, with the Run-Offs deserting him and a betrayal from someone close to him, Dick may not be able to bring the villain to justice! Sure, the identity was telegraphed since he got to Bludhaven, but still the reveal was well executed, the betrayal stung and the storytelling was tight. Moving the book to Bludhaven really made this book come into it’s own and To’s artwork is so well done that Nightwing has really become a must read IMO.

Holy crap. The cover does not lie! In an effort to bring Prince Adam (and at the same time, He-Man) back from the grave, Lion-O & Cringer bring the remains of the prince of Eternia to Third Earth and the Resurrection Chamber of Mumm-Ra the Ever living Himself! There is a scene in this book where Lion-O becomes Super Kami Guru from DBZ and uses the Sword of Omens to unlock someone’s potential and it is AWESOME. I had no idea when I picked up this book that it would become such a treat to read and something I looked forward to each issue. It’s so much fun.

So what did you pick up this week?Agree or disagree with anything said here?Let us know in the comments.